Semiconductor fabrication is a process employed to create integrated circuits used in modern-day electronic devices. The process typically involves a sequence of photolithographic and chemical operations performed upon a semiconducting material. Once the fabrication process is completed, the resulting semiconductor device or “chip” may be subjected to one or more tests to determine whether it functions properly. In many cases, a manufactured chip may be probed with an external electronic tester or machine prior to leaving the fabrication facility. However, external testing devices can be complicated and expensive, can require that dedicated test pins be built onto the chips, and can result in long test times.
Accordingly, in some cases, chip manufacturers now incorporate testing mechanisms into their own circuit designs. For example, a Built-in Self-Test (BIST) circuit may be fabricated onto a chip and used to deliver a sequence of tests to an electrical circuit (e.g., a memory module, etc.) within that chip to perform a fault detection procedure. Generally speaking, a BIST circuit may be configured to translate a test algorithm into a sequence of commands, data, and/or addresses to be applied to the circuit(s) being tested. As the inventors hereof have recognized, however, BIST circuits or the like are generally only used to perform self-tests, whether in the fabrication facility or out in the field.